Mail transport system



April 25, 1957 P. F. NYDEGGER ETAL 3,315,615

MAIL TRANSPORT SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 5, 1964 INVENTORS PHULFNYDEGGER Raul M/JVYDEGGER United States Patent Ofiice 3,3 15,6 15 Patented Apr. 25, 1967 3,315,615 MAIL TRANSPORT SYSTEM Paul F. Nydegger and Paul W. Nydegger, both of 4331 N. Frankfort, Tulsa, Okla. 74106 Filed Nov. 5, 1964, Ser. No. 409,225 Claims. (Cl. 104-177) This invention relates to conveyors and, more particularly, to a transport system for dispatching and retrieving a mail receptacle between two points. 7

It is an object of the present invention to provide a convenient, easily controlled mail transport system for use in rural areas for dispatching and retrieving a mail receptacle between a control station such as a house and a remote station, such as a roadside location accessible to the postman, so that such mail can be dispatched and retrieved in inclement weather without undue hardship or inconvenience.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mail transport system which will enable a person within a house to dispatch and retrieve mail from an outside location without having to leave the house at any time.

Still an additional object of the present invention is to provide a mail transport system of the aforementioned type which is extremely simple in construction, efiicient in operation, and automatically operative to dispatch and retrieve mail at will.

All ofthe foregoing and still further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a motor unit forming a part of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a carrier unit forming another part of the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatic side elevational view of the transport system made in accordance with the present invention in actual use, showing the motor unit and carrier unit in an initial position adjacent the control station or house, ready to be dispatched;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3, showing the motor and carrier units in a dispatched position in which'the motor unit has transported the carrier unit to the remote station and is about to be returned to the control station leaving the carrier unit at the remote station;

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 4, showing the motor unit in the returned position adjacent the control station and the carrier unit in the dispatched position adjacent the remote station; and

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of a support assembly for the remote station of the system.

Referring now more in detail to the drawing, a mail transport system made in accordance with the present invention is shown to include a motor unit 10 having a base frame 12, upon which a small internal combustion engine 14 is mounted with drive connections to a pulley 16 secured upon a rotatable shaft 18. The rotatable shaft 18 is connected to a drive shaft 20 by means of a flexible drive cable sheath assembly 19, to provide for continuous rotation of the drive shaft 20 that is carried upon a pair ofbrackets 21.

Each end of the drive shaft 20 is provided with a pair of spaced apart bevel gears 22, 24, which are selectively engageable with a drive bevel gear 26 mounted upon a shaft 28 of a drive wheel 30 that is rollably supported upon a taut cable 32 extending between two selected points.

A throttle control 34 provides means for manually adjusting the speed of rotation of the engine 14, to effectively control the speed at which the motor unit may be driven along the cable 32.

A push rod 36 having bumpers 37 at each end, is conshaft 20 for limited movement between a pair of stops 40.

It will thus be recognized that by moving the push rod 36 in one direction or the other, the drive shaft 20 can be longitudinally shifted from one position to another to completely disengage the gears 22, 24 from the drive gear 26 in a centered position,vto engage the gears 20 with the drive gear 26 for propelling the motor unit in one direction along the cable 32, or for engaging the other gears 24 with the drive gear 26 for propelling the motor unit in the opposite direction along the cable 32. The push rod 36 is provided with notches 42 at each end which selectively receive a positioning pin 43 to maintain the drive shaft 20 in a selected position, for either one of the drive positions of the gears 22, 24 or a neutral position.

The system also includes a carrier unit 50 having a frame 52 within which a conventional mail box or similar receptacle may be supported. A pair of brackets projecting upwardly from the main frame 52 includes housing 54 within which a plurality of pulley wheels 56 are rotatably supported for rolling engagement upon the cable 32. A longitudinal control rod 58 longitudinally slidably carried by the frame 52, has bumpers 60 at each end and a coil spring 62 at one end yield-ably resisting longitudinal movement of the rod 58 in a direction toward the motor unit 10, as viewed in FIGURE 3. This control rod 58 is in alignment with the push rod 36 of the motor unit,

for purposes hereinafter more fully described.

Another control rod 64 is also slidably carried upon the frame 52 for limited sliding movement longitudinally of the carrier unit. This rod 64 includes a bumper 66 at one forward end and an abutment member 68 at the opposite end. A compression coil spring 70 acting between the bumper 66 and the frame 52, yieldably resists longitudinal movement of the control rod 64 in a direction toward the motor unit 10.

Another control rod 72 slidably mounted upon the main frame 52 for rectilinear movement, has a bumper 74 at one end facing the motor unit 10, and a latch in the form of a bell crank lever 76 pivotally mounted at the opposite end and yieldably biased toward an engaged position with an anchor bracket 80 on a remote station support post 82, by means of a tension spring 78. As is shown in FIGURE 3, one end of the cable '32 is secured to the remote station post 82, and the opposite end thereof to the control station which may be a house 84, whereby the system is operative between such control and remote stations as will be hereinafter more fully described.

A bail member is secured to the control station 84 for engagement by a retaining latch member 86 pivotally mounted upon the main frame 12 of the motor unit and yieldably urged toward an engaged position by a tension spring 88. At the opposite end of the motor unit 10, a spring. plate 90 having an upwardly extending latch pin 92, is secured at its opposite end by means of rivets or screws 94 to the bottom of the main frame 12. A rod 98 integral at one end with a transversely extending release bar 100, extends through an oval opening in the face of the main frame 12 and is integrally connected to a mid portion of the latch pin plate 90. One end of the control rod 100 is provided with an offset release 'bar 102 which is in longitudinal alignment with the abutment 68 of the control rod 64 carried by the carrier unit 50.

'The latch pin 92 is engageable within an opening 104 in a keeper plate 106 on the carrier unit 50, as the motor 'rod 58 will cause the control sociated spring 70. Thus, withthe drive i position, to

' pole 82,, whereby the motor unit will return the carrier unit to the control station .URE 3: Upon reaching the control station 84, the retaining latch 86'will again automatically engage with the bail Because of the difierent lengths of the terminal the push rod 36, and the amount they therefore project outwardly from therespective ends of the motor unit, engagement of the control rod 58 of the carrier unit with a 3 engaged with the drive gear 26. By then releasing the retaining latch 86and shifting the pushrod 36 out of the 'position shown in FIGURE 1, to a completely forward position, the motor unit 10 will push the carrier unit 50 from the position shownin FIGURE 3 toward the position shown in FIGURE 4, As the carrier unit 50 reaches the remote station pole:82,the anchor latch 76 will automatically engage with the anchor member 80' to secure the carrie-runit adj'acent the remote station pole 82 Simultaneously, the impact of the forward bumpen60 of the control push rod 36, against the action of its spring 62, to shift the push rod 36 into the position shown in FIGURE 1,'to reverse the driving direction of the gears and to return'the motorunit 10 to the control station 84' as the engagement of the abutment member 68 of the control rod 64 engages with the release bar 90. The longitudinal movement of the control rod 64 is accomplished upon impact of the carrier unit with the remote station pole 82 under the yielding actionof the as- V 7 gear 'of the motor unit reversed to the position shown in FIGURE 1 and the latch pin 92 released from the keeper 106, the

into a mail box carried by the carrier unit'50 (not shown), or remove mail from such mail box for posting. 7

' At any time thereafter, the operatormay-dispatch the motor, unit 10 to retrieve the carrier unit 50, by again 1 activating the engine 14, releasing .the retaining latch 86, and placing the drive shaft 20 into the forward drive'position. Thus dispatched, the motor unit 10'will travel toward'the carrier unit 50 and upon impact therewith, the

latch pin 92 willengage with the keeper 106 to lock the units together, the push rod 36 will engage the control rod 58 to shift the push rod 36 to its extreme reverse position to'reverse the drive gear, and a fixed plate 83 carried by the 'motor'unit 10 will engage with the' bumper 74 on the control rod 72 to pivot the anchor latch 76 to a released free the carrier unitfrom .the remote station 84 in the manner shown in FIG- 85 to secure the assembly at the control station as shown in FIGURE 3, with the carrier unit 50 accessible for rea. moval of the contents of the mail box or for inserting outgoing mail therein. V a 1 It is to be noted, as shown in FIGURE 1, that there. are

three notches 42 in the push rod 36 at the end otthe motor unit adjacent the carrier unit, and two notches 42 in the push rod 36 at'the opposite end of the motor unit.

the adjacent end of the push rod' 36 will insure the shifting of the drive gears from a drive position in one direction to a drive position in the opposite direction, whereas the engagement of the opposite end of the push rod 36 with the controlstation'84 will cause shifting of the push rod 36 only from the return drive position to a neutral posiportions of rod 58 to move toward the t 102 to' disengag'e the latch pin 92 from f the keeper 106 as it is depressed by the downward pressure ofthe rod'98 between the shaft 100 and latch pin plate ,tion to disengage the gears upon the return of the motor unit to the control station.

It will now be recognized that this system"v may be readily installed to traverse any desired distance and terrain, and can be used for a variety of diiferent purposes where the dispatching and retrieving of materials and the like is desired.

While this invention has been reference to the construction shown in the drawing, it is to be understood that such is not to be construed as. im-

' parting limitations upon the invention, which is'best defined by the claims appended hereto.

7 Having thus described our invention, we claim as new 7 and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1., A transport system comprising, in cable secured at one end to' a control station and" at anopposite end'to a remote station, a motor unit having reversible drive means rollably carried upon said cable,

a carrier unit rollably carried upon said cable between,

said motor unit andsaidremote station, releasable latch means detachably securing said motor unit and said car-- rier unit together for propulsion along said cable by said motor unit, releasable anchor means carried by said car-1 rier unit for releasable connection to an anchor bracket on said remote station, a push rod carried by said motor unitv and control'rods carried by said carrier unit adapted to act upon said push; rod and for reversing said drive means,

.said latch means upon impact with said remote station to simultaneously'reverse said drive means and release said latch means, said anchor means securing said carrier;

unit to said anchor bracket upon contact therewith and said motor unitbeing adapted to return to said control station. V V i 2. A transport system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a control rod carried by said motor unit upon return engagement of said motor unit with said carrier unit.

3. A transport system as set carried by said motor iinitrollably supporting said motor unit'upon said cable, the motor carried by said motor unit, reversible gear means drivingly connecting said motor to said traction wheels, and said push rod'acting 7 upon said gear means to cause said gear means to effect rotation of said traction wheelsin a predetermined direction. I

4. A transport vsystem as set unit having a latch pin spring biased toward an engaged position rods.

5. 'A transport system asset forth in claim 4, 'furthercomprising manually releasable retaining means carried by said motor unit for engaging a bail member to retainj said motor unit at said control station.

References Cited by the Examiner V UNITED STATES PATENTS 803,900 11/1905 Harris 104-112X ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner. D. F. WORTH, Assistant Examiner.

9/1918 Nystrom 104-'-88 described with particular 1 I 'combinatiom a forth in claim 2, wherein said drive means comprises a plurality of traction wheels forth in claim '3', wherein 7 said latch means comprises'a keeper carried by the end 7 of said carrier unit closest to said motor unit, said motor Q with said keeper and slidably engageable t'h'ere{ f with in response to contact of said motor unit with said carrier unit, and a release bar carried by said motor unit. acting upon said latch pin to disengage said keeper in response to contact of said releasebar by one of saidcontrol Bess 104-151 I 

1. A TRANSPORT SYSTEM COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A CABLE SECURED AT ONE END TO A CONTROL STATION AND AT AN OPPOSITE END TO A REMOTE STATION, A MOTOR UNIT HAVING REVERSIBLE DRIVE MEANS ROLLABLY CARRIED UPON SAID CABLE, A CARRIED UNIT ROLLABLY CARRIED UPON SAID CABLE BETWEEN SAID MOTOR UNIT AND SAID REMOTE STATION, RELEASABLE LATCH MEANS DETACHABLY SECURING SAID MOTOR UNIT AND SAID CARRIER UNIT TOGETHER FOR PROPULSION ALONG SAID CABLE BY SAID MOTOR UNIT, RELEASABLE ANCHOR MEANS CARRIED BY SAID CARRIER UNIT FOR RELEASABLE CONNECTION TO AN ANCHOR BRACKET ON SAID REMOTE STATION, A PUSH ROD CARRIED BY SAID MOTOR UNIT FOR REVERSING SAID DRIVE MEANS, AND CONTROL RODS CARRIED BY SAID CARRIER UNIT ADAPTED TO ACT UPON SAID PUSH ROD AND SAID LATCH MEANS UPON IMPACT WITH SAID REMOTE STATION TO SIMULTANEOUSLY REVERSE SAID DRIVE MEANS AND RELEASE SAID LATCH MEANS, SAID ANCHOR MEANS SECURING SAID CARRIER UNIT TO SAID ANCHOR BRACKET UPON CONTACT THEREWITH AND SAID MOTOR UNIT BEING ADAPTED TO RETURN TO SAID CONTROL STATION. 